City Week: June 4-June 10

eastern dance-the indo-american arts council and asia society present the third annual "erasing borders: festival of indian dance 2010." the agenda includes two evening performances and two days of panels, workshops and demonstrations of indian and indian-inspired dance. the evening performances feature traditional, non-traditional, classical and post-modern dance, while the day sessions explore movement elements, rhythm and textual content. for more information, visit www.asiasociety.org. asia society and museum, 725 park ave., 212-288-6400; $16 to $20 for performances, $7 to $10 for a class.

immigrant experience-author and culinary expert jane ziegelman talks about her latest book, 97 orchard: an edible history of five immigrant families in one new york tenement. the families-who were irish, italian, eastern european jewish and german-lived in the same building from 1863 to 1935. each sought assimilation, but hung on fiercely to recipes from "the old country." includes wine and cheese reception, author talk and book signing, followed by evening service and potluck dinner. the society for the advancement of judaism, 15 w. 86th st., 212-724-7000; 6:15 p.m., free.

baby boomers-town hall presents a tribute to boomers' music of the '60s and '70s, featuring tony-nominated actresses and sisters liz and ann hampton callaway. the two share stories about growing up in new york and chicago and perform selections from their cast recordings and works made famous by joni mitchell, carole king, carly simon, stevie wonder and more. the town hall, 123 w. 43rd st., 212-307-4100; 8 p.m., $45 to $50.

opera cinema-empire opera presents the world premiere of renowned composer thad wheeler's latest work, cinema songs. this production brings together recognized performers from both musical theater and opera, and offers a new interpretation to some of america's best-loved movies, from hitchcock's rear window to tarantino's pulp fiction. empire opera, 349 west end ave., 917-743-7076, www.empireopera.org; 8 p.m., $30.

saturday, june 5

storytelling-the 54th season of "stories at the statue of hans christian andersen" kicks off today with haitian stories from the book the magic orange tree and other haitian folktales. stories are accompanied by music from haitian drummer oneza lafontant, singers jessica lee and joy smith, and guitarist phil robinson. through sept. 25; visit www.dianewolkstein.com for details. central park on the west side of the pond, near 72nd street and fifth avenue, 212-929-6871; 11 a.m., free.

ocean experts-the 2010 world science fair, running through june 6, includes a much-anticipated discussion about the world's oceans with legendary marine biologist sylvia earle and fabian cousteau, grandson of the famed oceanographer jacques cousteau. they focus on the endless possibilities of oceanic exploration, with a look at new technologies transforming how we investigate the seas. also check out never-before-released "making-of" footage from jacques perrin's revolutionary film, oceans. the paley center, 25 w. 52nd st., 866-811-4111 or 212-352-3101; 4:30p.m., $15 to $30.

multi-talented-the "lyrics and lyricists" series ends its 40th anniversary season with a tribute to the composer, pianist, singer, actor and bandleader hoagy carmichael. carmichael wrote some of the most famous american songs of all time, including "stardust," "the nearness of you," "heart and soul" and "georgia on my mind." tonight's show, "in the cool, cool, cool of the evening: the stardust of hoagy carmichael," features artistic director ted sperling and broadway vocalists laura maria duncan, capathia jenkins and clarke thorell. also june 6 and 7. 92nd street y, 1395 lexington ave., 212-415-5500; 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., $52 to $62.

taste of times square-the annual times square festival showcases food from different neighborhoods and restaurants around the city, and includes live entertainment. special musical guests perform at the hard rock café stage. for more information, visit timessquarenyc.org. west 46th street between broadway and ninth avenues, 212-768-1560; 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free.

preservation effort-kathy howe of the new york state office of parks, recreation and historic preservation delivers an informal discussion on how to submit a building or neighborhood for consideration on the national register. the designation can provide benefits and tax incentives to owners and residents to preserve the neighborhood or building, and is the first step toward local landmark designation. neighborhood preservation center, 232 e. 11th st., 212-614-9107; 8:30 p.m., free.

senior steps-choreographer naomi goldberg hass and her company, dances for a variable population, offer a six-class workshop for older adults that encourages participants to explore the benefits of dance in their daily lives. participants will perform with the ensemble on the high line cruise in september 2010. classes are also june 11, 15, 18, 22 and 25. hudson guild fulton senior center, 119 ninth ave., 347-683-2691; 1 p.m., free.

get your culture on-museums up and down the mile offer free admission for the 32nd annual "museum mile festival." el museo del barrio, the museum of the city of new york, the jewish museum, cooper-hewitt, national design museum, smithsonian institution, national academy museum and school of fine arts, solomon r. guggenheim museum, neue galerie new york, goethe-institut new york/german cultural center and the metropolitan museum of art are taking part in the festival, which includes outdoor activities for children. the opening ceremony is at el museo del barrio, on fifth avenue between east 104th and 105th streets. fifth avenue from east 82nd to 105th streets, 212-606-2296; 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., free.

wednesday, june 9

bee talk-samantha bee, the most senior correspondent on the daily show with jon stewart, talks about her memoir i know i am but what are you?, a collection of her hilarious personal essays. bryant park reading room, bryant park, sixth avenue and 42nd street, 212-768-4242; 12:30 p.m., free.

symphonic-music director george rothman leads the riverside symphony, for the third and final concert of the orchestra's 29th season, in "theater for the ears." the finale, dedicated to three generations of music from the theater, features rebecca jo loeb, winner of the 2008 lotte lenya international soprano competition. alice tully hall at lincoln center, 1941 broadway, 212-864-4197; 8 p.m., $35 to $50.

incredible life-george marcy's life has been a voyage. the ballad of george porgie, a one-man show presented by marcy, takes audiences from an orphanage to a tank in world war ii and his role as bernardo, opposite chita rivera, in the original west side story. don't tell mama, 343 w. 46th st., 212-757-0788; 6 p.m., $25 plus two-drink minimum.

thursday. june 10

vinyl-more than 10,000 items, including records, posters and sheet music from the 1800s to the 1980s, are on sale. includes genres spanning across the music world. tip top shoe building, 155 w. 72nd st., 4th floor, 212-579-0689; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free.

sketchy stuff-beginning june 10, some of the best live sketch comedy groups in north america descend on the city for sketchfestnyc. featured shows include mudrderfist, fearsome presents: grease 3: threase, elephant larry, fuct and tom davis presents: 39 years of short-term memory loss. the upright citizens brigade theatre, 307 w. 26th st., 212-366-9176; 7 p.m., $10 to $90.